


The Awakening

by Myqueenmarceline



Category: Adventure Time
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, And I'm not sorry, Body Horror, Bonnibel is skeptical, F/F, I'm working on it, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Marceline is a badass, Marceline is low-key corrupted by the power of absorbing all the vampires, Minor Body Horror, Minor Violence, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Rating May Change, Slow Burn, Title is a bad pun, Violence, but she's still a radical dame, for me at least, it's kind of twisted, she comes back to life though, so she's low-key ooc, who loves to play games
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-26
Updated: 2018-06-12
Packaged: 2019-04-28 01:54:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,801
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14438970
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Myqueenmarceline/pseuds/Myqueenmarceline
Summary: One night while on the run from the King of Ooo, Bonnibel accidentally awakens an ancient and powerful being from long ago that had been reduced to legend. How much of what Bonnibel has heard about the formidable Vampire Queen is actually true?





	1. Resurrection

**Author's Note:**

> Ok so I've been working on this idea for awhile! I can't stop thinking of Bubbline AUs and I just love them so much. Here I tried to add in some of my love for horror (there's so much potential for it). I'm about halfway done writing chapter 2 already, so I'm trying to avoid a long delay between chapters.
> 
> Also: I plan to post a new chapter in 3 weeks at the latest. My end of term is coming up, so I have a lot of work to do but I'll hopefully be able to finish one by then.

Bonnibel leaned against a tree, desperately trying to catch her breath. She didn't know how long she'd been running, but she'd long since stopped recognizing the surrounding forrest. She decided to take a moment to recover, waiting tensely. Her breath was the only thing that broke the silence, but she had the feeling that she hadn't lost her pursuers quite yet. The King of Ooo’s thugs were nothing if not thorough, and he'd given them a very explicit order.

He wasn't the first one to try and take her kingdom from her, but he was the first one to get this far. However, it was a well-known fact that Bonnibel was not one to give up easily, if he wanted to assure his spot on the throne, he would need to make sure that she was out of the way.

She jumped, whirling around as an ear-piercing howl split the air. Her heart sank. She recognized that noise all too well. The irony that one of her own creations was now being used to hunt her down was not lost on her, but at the moment, her continued survival was the top priority.

She took a deep breath, beginning to run again. She didn't sprint with her full effort, but she was going rather fast. Her hounds had been made with a higher stamina at the cost of a slower speed, and she needed to be able to maintain a lead if she wanted to escape.

Her paranoia was mounting, and she risked a glance behind her. She promptly tripped over another root, cracking her knee painfully on stone as she fell.

She scrambled up again, moving about two paces forwards before rolling down a small hill. She quickly pressed her back against it, a pained hiss escaping her teeth as she examined her leg. It was lightly bleeding, and the skin was already beginning to bruise, but it didn't seem broken.

She turned around, wondering what on earth she was leaning against. It appeared to be some sort of marble mausoleum, half-buried in the ground. The stone was faded and weathered with age, but an ominous “KEEP OUT” was clearly carved over the entrance.

She tried to stand, but her knee gave out almost immediately. If she wanted to be able to go, she would have to rest for a moment. She glanced back at the tomb, considering her options.

Lying out in the open like this was practically suicide, and there was a crack in one corner of the door that she could probably wiggle her way into. That would give her at least some sort of shelter, and a small element of surprise if her pursuers caught up with her.

With a grunt, she hiked her injured leg up and pushed it through the gap. She awkwardly shuffled forwards, ducking down and maneuvering herself inside. She scooted backwards in the darkness, moving from dirt onto a cold, smooth surface.

She pulled out her small flashlight and clicked it on. Once again, her paranoid over-preparedness had paid off.

Inside the marble was completely smooth. Cold, bare, and cynical. She had originally assumed that this was the burial site of some long-forgotten noble, but now it seemed more like a prison than a tomb.

Nature had crept its way inside, with dirt everywhere and ivy winding over the walls. Bonnibel stifled a shudder, setting the flashlight down before carefully extending her leg to lie on the length marble underneath her.

Sitting on a coffin definitely wasn't helping her mood, but it appeared to be the cleanest surface available, and she wasn't going to risk an infection.

She carefully bent it again, pulling out her handkerchief. She carefully examined the wound, evaluating the best way to wrap it so she could completely cover all the parts of the scrape.

A small bit of blood had collected on the marble, but she didn't notice as a few drops slipped down towards a minute crack in the marble.

She finished bandaging and moved a little closer to the entrance, ears strained for any sounds.

She rapidly drew the dagger from her belt as a loud scratching noise came from behind her. At first, she didn't realize it was coming from the inside, but as stone began to crack, she quickly understood what was going on. Whatever was buried in here wasn't dead yet, and now she was pretty much trapped inside.

A clawed hand burst through the marble, groping around. The small crack had widened into a chasm, and Bonnibel watched in a combination of horror and awe as the thing easily pushed aside a piece of marble that probably weighed hundreds of pounds.

She turned off her flashlight, pressing as far back into the corner as she could. Her knee still wasn't working right, and all she could do now was attempt to hold her own against the powerful being.

A thin figure rose up, letting out a horrifying groan as it stretched out. If Bonnibel squinted, she could almost make out the silhouette rising towards the ceiling before it shrunk back down.

She held her breath. Each second crawled past achingly slowly, feeling more like a minute as they crawled past.

“Who are you?” The voice was soft and a bit hoarse, but clear. The figure took a step towards her, and Bonnibel felt her heart sink. She was cornered. She had no choice but to reply and hope for the best.

She opened her mouth, her voice failing her for a moment before she managed to mumble out “Princess Bonnibel Bubblegum of the Candy Kingdom.”

“Candy kingdom?” the figure sounded confused. “How long have I been out for? What year is it?”

“Ah, right. Forgive me, I’m still a bit disoriented. I am Marceline Abadeer, the Vampire Queen.” The figure bowed in a way Bonnibel hadn't seen used in years.

Bonnibel stifled a gasp as she realized where she’d heard the name from. Surely this couldn't be the figure of legend, the daughter of the Nightosphere who had single-handedly exterminated the vampire race, claiming their power as her own. She had been assassinated and buried more than 1200 years ago!

However, the more she thought about it, the more it made sense. This was clearly a very old tomb, and hadn't vampires allegedly been immortal? She’d been trapped here somehow, compelled to lie dormant beneath the Earth.

Bonnibel had been worried before, but now it was beginning to look like she had unleashed something from her worst nightmares. A being that had amassed enough power to take down an entire kingdom in the space of a few years when her grip on her own authority was already shaky.

“So Bonnibel… Tell me, are you bleeding right now?” Marceline moved a little closer, suddenly standing between Bonnibel and the exit.

Oh. Right. Vampire. A shudder ran down her spine and she realized there was a much more pressing danger at hand.

“You awakened me by bleeding over my tomb. I don’t know what you are, but you’re very potent. Just a few drops was enough to give me the power I needed, which is no small feat. I mean you no harm, but after so many centuries trapped, I’m famished. Could I have just a little more?” Marceline asked. Bonnibel thought she was extending a hand towards her, but she couldn't be sure.

She reluctantly reached out. A deathly cold long-fingered hand gripped her hand, turning it around and exposing her wrist.

Bonnibel tried to curl back, but was unable to keep her personal space from being invaded. Marceline practically sat in her lap, scraping her fangs over Bonnibel’s wrist with practiced ease. She let out a small sound, roughly pressing her long tongue over the injury.

It hurt, but Bonnibel swallowed any noises of pain before they escaped her lips. She wasn't going to admit weakness, not in front of Marceline.

Marceline pulled away, sighing contentedly. “Thank you sweetheart.”

Bonnibel jerked her arm backwards as Marceline pressed a kiss to her wrist. What the-she ran her fingers over the place she’d been bitten in surprise. It still stung, but the cut had closed up. She might have been a fast healer, but not that fast.

“How did you do that?”

Marceline chuckled, and Bonnibel could feel her grin. “Magic.”

Bonnibel wisely decided to keep her opinions on science and magic to herself.

“So Bonnibel, what drove you into my tomb in the first place?” Marceline asked, moving a little closer. Bonnibel could feel herself being stared at, and she didn't like it.

She took a deep breath, deciding that things couldn’t get much worse than they already were. As far as she could tell, her options were to die in here or to die out there. By now, there was no escaping the hounds.

She rested her head in her hands, telling the Vampire Queen a simplified version of the story. She was tired. Things were beyond hopeless.

Out of everything she was expecting the Queen to respond, she had never considered: “Oh, well that won’t do! You resurrected me. I owe you. Let me help you take back your throne.”

She said it simply, as if it were the most logical thing in the world. Bonnibel gaped in disbelief, but after another moment, she realized what was going on.

She crossed her arms, irritation rising. She might have been in a desperate situation but she wasn’t an idiot. “Wait a minute… If this is supposed to be some sort of deal to get me to forfeit my kingdom—’’

“No no no, I don’t want to rule over your kingdom. Those are far too high maintenance, especially if yours is as big as you’re describing. Think of me more like a… friend who’s also sponsoring you. Here, I’ll prove it to you right now. Come on.”

Bonnibel wasn't sure what to think. She had no idea if she could trust Marceline, but she reluctantly accepted her hand up. Even if she was walking into a trap, it didn't matter any more. For once, she could ignore all of her self-preservation instincts. It was almost liberating.

Outside the moonlight was ridiculously bright. She blinked, rubbing at her eyes as they struggled to adjust.

Marceline wasn’t as tall as she’d looked inside the crypt. She still seemed to stand a bit taller than Bonnibel, but her form couldn't have cased that towering shadow.

“Now, is there a safe place you can go? I need to go check up on some… friends before I can help you reclaim anything.”

Marceline looked around, taking in the forest. Bonnibel gave her a moment. She had witnessed the changes to this place firsthand over the years, and she could only imagine how disorienting it must be to wake up one day and find that everything was suddenly different.

When Marceline turned back to her, she spoke. “Well, my best knight lives in a tree house out near the border of the Grass Lands and my kingdom.” Finn could probably at least protect her for the night, and she could seek asylum at another kingdom in the morning.

She didn't understand why Marceline chuckled, but she decided not to ask.

She was suddenly hoisted up onto Marceline’s back as if she weighed no more than a feather. Bonnibel made an awkward noise, fingers digging into Marceline’s shoulders. If she tried to push away, she would probably offend Marceline and almost definitely injure herself more by falling to the ground.

"Ready?"

Bonnibel shifted her position a little and nodded. They didn't have time to wait around.

Despite her experience riding her Morrow, Bonnibel was not ready for Marceline’s rapid acceleration. She gasped as they were suddenly propelled forwards. The trees whipped by them so fast that all she could see was a blur. Marceline almost seemed to be radiating energy, her long strides roughly jolting Bonnibel every time her feet made contact with the ground. Yet, despite this terrifying speed never once did Bonnibel feel a branch graze her.

Within a few minutes, they were outside the treehouse. Despite the phenomenal speed, Marceline didn't seem to have any problem decelerating into a leisurely walk.

She squatted down, letting Bonnibel dismount.

Bonnibel stood there, face turned away as she composed herself. She had a variety of burning questions that urged to spill from her lips, but all seemed inappropriate. Should she thank Marceline? The vampire had just saved her life…

Unable to come to a decision, she looked back. Marceline was pulling at one of the necklaces adorning her. The silver chain snapped as if it were paper. She took Bonnibel's wrist, wrapping it so that the bright red ruby sat in her palm.

"Keep that safe and hidden. You'll need it. I’ll be back when I can.”

“Thank you.” Bonnibel genuinely smiled for the first time that night. Her stress hadn't vanished completely, but the weight on her shoulders had been lessened.

Marceline winked, and then vanished. In less than the blink of an eye, she had completely disappeared. Bonnbiel reached out, but her hand didn't make contact with anything. Had she teleported?

Bonnibel waited outside for a moment more, but when Marceline didn't reappear she made her way inside.


	2. The Coup

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marceline returns with help
> 
> WARNING: this chapter has some minor violence/body horror

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for your patience waiting for this chapter! I hope y'all enjoy it.
> 
> ALSO PLEASE TAKE NOTE: I will be away at a writing camp from June 17th to June 30th, so I will not be posting another chapter until after that is over.

It had been almost three months since Bonnibel had last seen Marceline, and if she had to stay cooped up in here for one more day, then she was going to go insane. Finn and Jake had been very kind and accommodating, but she wanted to be able to go outside again (or at the very least see her lab). She shuddered at the thought of what the King of Ooo might have done to her living quarters.

Unfortunately, without Marceline, she didn’t have a hope of taking back the throne. Nothing short of an army could march on the castle and get past the King’s thugs, and all she had was two knights who had sworn an oath of fidelity to the Candy Throne, regardless of who sat on it. While they were useful for keeping an eye on what was going on, they couldn’t do much else without putting themselves in grave peril.

In the past Bonnibel could have easily ordered Finn to do it, but before the coup, he had been developing his own set of morals and opinions. She trusted him, but not with this.

Bonnibel was smart enough not to call out and ask who it was. Finn and Jake announced their presence when they came home. She’d had her fair share of enemies before, but with the bounty on her head, she was extra paranoid.

She silently put down the book she was reading, drawing her laser pistol. It was a unique little thing she’d put together herself with a bit of scrap metal and a magical pendant. She wasn’t the best shot, but she was confident that she could take someone out if necessary.

“Freeze and drop your weapon!” Her voice could be very authoritative when she wanted it to be.

The figure swore and dropped the picture it had been holding. “Damn, you scared me.” The voice sounded familiar, but Bonnibel couldn’t quite place it.

“Step into the light and let me see your face.”

“Woah, I surrender! Relax!” Marceline chuckled, raising her hands as she stepped forward. Her hair had been cut drastically shorter, with one side shaved and what remained of the other braided and tucked away behind her ear.

“What are you doing here?” Bonnibel knew that the question was stupid as soon as she said it. She cringed, holstering the gun and massaging her throbbing temples. Perhaps maintaining vigilance by only sleeping in periods of two hours at a time had done more harm than good.

“Did you really forget about me already? Tsk tsk Bonnie, can I honestly trust you with an army?” Marceline joked, “So, what’s got you so on-edge?”

She leaned against the wall, waiting for Bonnibel to say something. It was as if she had all the time in the world.

Bonnibel, on the other hand, could practically feel the clock ticking. With every hour that went by, her chances of succeeding in the coup got slimmer. She needed to strike before the King of Ooo had fully cemented his power. If the candy people had come to care for him, then everything was over.

“Nothing… You have uncanny timing. What have you brought?” After waiting so long, Bonnibel felt like she had the right to be a bit curt.

“Well, then I guess tonight’s just your lucky night Bonbon. I didn’t find exactly who I had in mind, but I’m sure the people I’ve found will do just fine.” Marceline’s grin was calm, but her eyes glittered in unnerving excitement. Bonnibel knew that she had promised to help her, but she couldn’t help noticing her incredibly sharp fangs.

Could she really be trusted? Well, Bonnibel couldn’t exactly turn her away now. Besides, she hadn’t done anything hazardous so far. Despite her thirst for blood, she hadn’t even tried to bite Bonnibel again—and Bonnibel was almost certain that her small amount of blood in the crypt wouldn’t have satisfied the vampire.

After impatiently waiting for her to pack a bag, Marceline quickly ushered Bonnibel out the door. The moon was bright in the sky, a cool breeze making the tree’s leaves rustle. It was an average, quiet night.

Puzzled, she looked back to Marceline. Where was this person she mentioned? Had she been tricked?

Cupping her hands around her mouth, Marceline called: “You can come out now!”

They came from everywhere. In the grass surrounding, from between the tree roots and branches, and even a few from the water. In less than a minute, what looked like the entire Goblin kingdom had gathered on the grass in front of her. Marceline came to stand next to her, one hand on her hip as she gestured to them.

“Apparently, the good old king died while I was around. What a shame. Fortunately for us, their current leader wasn’t the best, and so they agreed to follow me if I helped them find a new one.”

She clearly didn’t know much about the goblins’ history that had happened after her alleged death, but Bonnibel figured if Marceline could get Bonnibel’s kingdom back, then who said that she couldn’t try and find someone capable who could deal with leading the goblins.

She nodded, feeling all of their eyes on her as she mentally prepared what she was going to say. “Alright. This is an excellent number of soldiers, and I am honored that you are all willing to fight for me. However, if we want to stand a fighting chance, there are a few things I need to tell you about security. There are the King Of Ooo’s men to get past, but there are also several defenses that I built into my castle…”

The goblins were incredibly attentive listeners, and Bonnibel could hear them repeatedly whispering her instruction amongst themselves as they marched through the forest. They moved quickly and quietly, a few smaller groups splitting off to go around.

Since her kingdom had been built with a massive circular outer wall, Bonnibel knew that it would be better if they attempted to find multiple points of entry. With the number of soldiers at their disposal, they simply would not have the time to all discreetly cross in the same spot.

Soon enough, they reached the edge of the forest. The only thing between them and the city was a small field, the moat, and then the wall. A few guards were patrolling on top, but there was a decent ten-minute interval between when each one walked by.

She jumped as Marceline tapped her on the shoulder, crouching down in the bush next to her. “Alright, so let me make sure I have this right: I’m going to go inside and cause a distraction. While the guards are busy, you’re going to open up some sorta secret entrance and get the goblins inside. Then we’re going to meet up in one of the old sewer pipes and storm the castle through there?”

Bonnibel nodded hesitantly, biting her lip as she tried to decide if it was a good idea to tell Marceline everything.

No. 

She couldn’t let the woman who saved her go in without adequately informing her of the danger that lay ahead, “Wait. There’s just one more thing: because of your, well, unusual circumstances, you may not be able to enter the kingdom. If either one of the large guardians sitting on the side of the wall moves, then get out of there. I built those, and they won’t rest until the threat is eliminated.”

Marceline snorted, chuckling as she shook her head. She apparently wasn’t taking the threat seriously; hadn’t she been confined to a mausoleum until a little while ago? She wasn’t invincible. Did she merely believe she was above Bonnibel’s creations?

Seeing the expression on her face, Marceline raised her hands in surrender. “All right, relax Bonbon. I’ll keep that in mind.”

Before Bonnibel could retort, Marceline had transformed, rapidly shrinking and flying off in the form of a bat. Bonnibel watched her fly off with mild shock; how long had she been able to transform like that? It certainly would have helped if she’d known that earlier. Then again, they hadn’t particularly gotten a chance to talk for very long—maybe they would discuss this and other matters once Bonnibel had her throne back.

She held her breath, unable to do anything but watch and wait as the Vampire Queen approached the wall. Thankfully, the Gumball Guardians stayed silent as she flew by them. They might have been letting a presence that Bonnibel would have almost certainly placed as a “great evil” into the kingdom, but in this case, she could let it slide. Perhaps their hearing range was still wide enough that they could hear the conversation. Finn had told her that since her departure the guardians had essentially shut down, refusing to obey direct orders from the King of Ooo, and only helping if Candy Citizens were directly in danger.

She moved back, stepping out of the bush and quietly conferring with a few of the goblins over the best way to quickly get them all inside. She didn’t particularly want to reveal the triggers to just anyone. After some minor monetary negotiations, they agreed to close their eyes when they got close to the wall.

As if on cue, a loud bang came from inside the city, the guard walking by turning around and running down, shouts ringing out from the streets below him.

Bonnibel winced, hoping that Marceline hadn’t done anything too drastic. There was no point in taking back a pile of rubble.

Ah well. What was done could not be undone, and Bonnibel would be a fool to waste the opportunity in front of her. She took off running, feeling the goblins moving behind her as she sprinted to the wall.

She lightly touched the candy wall, already somewhat relieved that she had made it this far. For a moment, she had been worried she would never see her home again.

A goblin tapped her twice on the shoulder, the signal to indicate they were all averting their eyes. Her other hand came up to the wall, careful to simultaneously press two of the bricks down at the same time.

With a soft scraping sound, a large section of the wall pulled back to reveal a tunnel. If they were lucky, then three other similar entrances had opened up for the smaller parallel groups of goblins.

Bonnibel stepped to the side, letting the lines of goblins that had formed behind her stream inside. She had correctly estimated that six of them standing next to each other could get in at once, and this was better than letting all of them try to pile in at once.

Bonnibel kept an eye on the top of the wall, but soon enough the last warriors were inside. She pressed the left trigger once more, stepping back inside the dark tunnel as the wall slid back into place.

The tunnel was extremely dark and cramped, armor clinking as the goblins awkwardly parted to let her through. She pressed her bracelet, a soft pink light filling the tunnel as she confidently strode forwards.

Bonnibel kept glancing up, fully expecting to hear shouting above from being discovered. Even some of the “secret” passages had surveillance feeds set up. Did she honestly think that this could succeed? She’d built this kingdom up from the ground; but did she really deserve to run it?

Her increasing paranoia had her jumping at the slightest of sounds. At one point, she even started off down the wrong hallway, only realizing it when they came to a dead end. It pained her to lose face in front of them, but she finally got them to the right place. A group of goblins joined them, quietly greeting her as they slipped into rank with their comrades.

A familiar dark figure was leaning against the wall. A large, messy piece of graffiti took up most of the wall next to her. Bonnibel was momentarily worried that someone else was down there, but when she recognized the language and understood the phrase, she relaxed.

Of course, the terrifying Vampire Queen would take pleasure in juvenile graffiti. Bonnibel would try and remember to wash it off later.

“Are you ready?” Bonnbiel asked, hesitantly stepping closer. Now that she wasn’t currently in mortal peril, she was unsure how close she willingly wanted to get to Marceline. She probably wouldn’t be put in any harm’s way, but she still didn’t know enough about her. The vampire was a wild card, and she had no idea if she was genuinely invested in making Bonnibel succeed or if she was playing games. The political games she had to work through now were nothing compared to the level of manipulation that some of the vampires were rumored to do, and this one was so good at it that she had gotten close enough to kill her way to the top of them.

“Yes, I’m dying for some bloodshed,” Marceline said, her long forked tongue moving sinuously over her lips. The act seemed to be playfully exaggerated, but Bonnibel had no idea if Marceline was joking or not.

“Very well, let us proceed.” Bonnibel strode forwards without looking back, letting the others fall into step behind her. Marceline didn’t seem to agree with that, appearing next to her in an instant. All of the goblins fell natural into following her, but she insisted on keeping pace, even if she didn’t know where they were going. Thankfully, in their current circumstances, she couldn’t find it in herself to be annoyed.

She once again sent off some goblins. According to Finn, the King of Ooo had set up an incredibly tacky throne at one end of the Great Hall. Thankfully, that was one of the least structurally sound rooms in her castle. Six parallel secret entrances existed near some of the shutters in the room, including two that were incredibly close to the throne. She decided to opt for one of these, peering through a crack in the wall to see what was going on inside.

There he was, the notorious conman who had stolen her kingdom. He was sitting on a literal golden throne, quietly conversing with a squirrel standing next to him.

She couldn’t take it. She burst into the room, pointing one accusing finger at him as she yelled: “King of Ooo! You will surrender your throne to me, the rightful ruler of the candy kingdom.”

He laughed obnoxiously, pretending to wipe a tear from his eye as he took her in. “You came to take back your throne alone? You couldn’t even muster up one citizen to be a part of your army, but you think you can rule them?” The squirrel next to him chuckled, looking at her and shaking his head.

“Oh, I have an army.” It was Bonnibel’s turn to smile as she whistled, the signal sounding loud and clear.

“Seize her!”

Before any of the guards could grab her, the hall became inundated with soldiers. They formed a barrier between the guards and Bonnbiel, who drew her pistol and pointed it at the King of Ooo. He lunged to the side, shoving the squirrel in front of him as he nearly tripped over his opulent robe. He had underestimated her for the last time. She shot at him, grazing his shoulder and leaving a large black scorch mark on the wall behind him.

She strode forward with a confidence she rarely possessed, pointing the gun and preparing to fire again.

Before Bonnibel got the chance, the King of Ooo whipped out a crossbow and fired. Marceline shoved her aside just in time, an arrow firmly lodging itself in the vampire’s eye socket with a sickening thunk, forcing her to take a step back. To the horror of those who were watching, she grabbed the shaft, tugging it out. A rivulet of black blood trailed down her cheek, making the wide grin on her face even more unsettling.

Bonnibel was close enough that she could hear it when the blood went back up into her, the ruptured parts of the eye knitting back together before her eyes. She had heard of potent healing magic, but Bonnibel had never gotten the chance to see it in action. She may not have valued it as much as science, but she couldn’t deny that the aura of pure power surrounding Marceline was somewhat appealing.

She took Bonnibel’s hand and strode forward, taking two more arrows to the chest and neck before she was close enough to rip the weapon out of his hand. She crushed it, grabbing him by the arm and twisting it so hard that he was forced down onto his knees. She grinned ferally, looking up at Bonnibel.

Her large dark eyes reflected Bonnibel’s face back at her, and for an instant, Bonnibel didn’t recognize herself. Then she blinked, refocusing on the front of the terrified man below her.

“Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t kill you right now,” Bonnibel said it quietly, knowing that no one she knew (besides possibly Marceline) would approve of the action. It was fine to execute people, but without some semblance of a trial, she couldn’t justify it to the other princesses. Despite some of the darker things she did, she was still supposed to be one of the “good” rulers.

Besides, the man was so pathetic now, and it sickened her to watch as he burst into tears, sobbing and desperately apologizing to her. Marceline rolled her eyes at the theatrics, looking at Bonnibel and raising an eyebrow as she bared her fangs. Bonnibel subtly shook her head. Damn it all; she had to take the high road or be forced to pay for it later.

The guards and the King of Ooo’s other henchmen were already being tied up and taken away to the dungeon. She beckoned two of the goblin soldiers over, letting them take the King from Marceline.

“Take him to the darkest cell in the dungeon. Take all his clothes and thoroughly search him then chain him up. Make sure he is far away from any of the other cells with his companions, especially the squirrel.

Once that was taken care of, Bonnibel pulled out her phone to step away and call Finn. Soon enough he and Jake had agreed to guard the King of Ooo for the rest of the night, with a heavily armored group of guards arranged to transport him to the princess meeting hall tomorrow so his trial could begin.

While he had been engaging in less-than-legal activities for years, this coup was one of the worst. Bonnibel was not going to let him get free again. Her kingdom may not have been the biggest, but she wielded both high power and social connections, and she was sure that she could get her revenge.

Finally, after figuring out a place for the goblins to sleep for the night, she was finished. A few of her more devoted citizens came by to welcome her back, but she was honestly just ready for bed. She was exhausted, and the adrenaline had worn off more than an hour ago.

She almost didn’t realize she was alone as she walked down the hall to her bedroom. Sighing wearily, she stopped and turned around. Of course, it would be her.

“So, how did that feel?” Marceline regarded her in the same way Bonnibel would watch a particularly interesting experiment, a mixture of curiosity and amusement.

“Good. I’m happy to have my kingdom back.” Bonnibel knew that wasn’t what she was talking about, but she wasn’t biting tonight. Marceline had given her what she wanted, and she would find a way to repay her later. For now, her bed was calling her name.

“Of course you are.” Marceline paused a moment as if thinking over her words carefully. “Well, I’m afraid I must be off. After the events of tonight, I’ll need to contact a few people. You’d be surprised about how many are invested in the outcome.”

“Already?” Bonnibel was surprised at that. After all the effort she put into this, Marceline didn’t even want to stay for one night? She felt oddly offended.

“It’s never over for the queen of the night.” Marceline winked, a small mischievous grin exposing the tips of her fangs. “Don’t you worry Bonbon, I’ll come and visit soon enough. I look forward to getting the official tour.”

At that moment Bonnibel wasn’t exactly sure what was compelling her to do it, but she stepped forward. Despite the danger and her somewhat grating personality, Marceline had been an undeniable asset, and she had only ever genuinely supported and aided her.

She carefully wrapped her arms around Marceline, her voice barely above a whisper as she embraced the queen. “You did an excellent job tonight. Thank you.”

“Aw, you’re welcome sweetheart. I’m happy I was able to get your kingdom back.” Marceline’s voice was soft and kind, her hand rubbing soothing circles. She had an incredibly unique smell, and at the moment, Bonnibel was too tired to stop herself from taking in a deep breath of it.

“Now, let’s get you into bed so I can head off.” Marceline carefully pulled away and took her arm, escorting Bonnibel to her room even as she nearly tripped over her own feet.

After that, Bonnibel couldn’t remember anything but a deep, dreamless sleep.


End file.
